JP6181694B2 - Drain pump device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a drain pump device attached in the middle of a drain pipe from an indoor unit of an air conditioner.

  A general indoor unit of an air conditioner includes a heat exchanger and a blower. In this heat exchanger, drain water is generated by heat exchange between the refrigerant and air during operation of the air conditioner. In order to store this drain water, a drain pan is provided in the lower part of the heat exchanger. In the drain pan, a drain pump for sucking up drain water and discharging it to the outside is provided. And if drain water is stored in a drain pan more than fixed amount by continuous operation of an indoor unit, a drain pump will drive and drain water will be discharged outside.

  As a prior art for controlling the timing of the drain pump drive, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a liquid level detection device that detects the water surface position of drain water. As shown in FIG. 7, the liquid level detection device of Patent Document 1 includes a drain pan 12 ′ capable of storing drain water, a stem 32 ′ disposed above the drain pan 12 ′ and extending in the vertical direction, and the stem 32 ′. Float 31 'supported by stem 32' so that it can move up and down along, magnet 35 '(magnet) fixed to the lower part of float 31', and built in the bottom of drain pan 12 ', said magnet 35' And a reed switch 33 ′ arranged to face each other in the vertical direction, and a drain pump (not shown) driven or stopped by the reed switch 33 ′.

  The float 31 ′ is made of a foamed resin so as to float on the drain water in the drain pan 12 ′, and the float 31 ′ moves up and down as the liquid level of the drain water changes. The reed switch 33 ′ is controlled to be turned on or off by the positional relationship with the magnet 35 ′ fixed to the lower part of the float 31 ′. That is, in a state where a small amount of drain water is stored in the drain pan 12 ′ (including a state where drain water is not stored), the bottom of the float 31 ′ is close to the bottom of the drain pan 12 ′, and therefore the magnetic field of the magnet 35 ′. As a result, the lead piece of the reed switch 33 'is magnetized and the tips of the reed pieces come into contact with each other to turn on the reed switch 33'. On the other hand, when drain water is accumulated in the drain pan 12 ′ by continuing the operation of the indoor unit, the float 31 ′ continues to rise together with the drain water level, and the drain water level in the drain pan 12 ′ eventually reaches a predetermined level. Is exceeded, the magnetic field of the magnet 35 'at the bottom of the float 31' does not act on the reed switch 33 ', the leading ends of the lead pieces are separated by elastic force, and the reed switch 33' is turned off. By controlling ON / OFF of the reed switch 33 ′ according to the drain water level in this way, the drain pump is driven when the drain water level rises to some extent, and the drain water is discharged out of the drain pan. ing.

JP 2010-242994 A

  In the configuration in which the float 31 ′ moves up and down along the outer peripheral surface of the stem 32 ′ as in the liquid level detection device, dust accumulates at the upper part of the sliding portion of the float 31 ′ and the stem 32 ′, and the movement of the float 31 ′. May not be smooth.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a drain pump device in which a float moves up and down smoothly without being affected by dust or the like.

A drain pump device according to an aspect of the present invention includes a float having a float main body and a magnet attached to an upper portion of the float main body, and the upper portion is opened downward while being closed, and the upper portion of the float is inserted from below. And an operation switch that is disposed outside the enclosure and operates by the magnetic force of the magnet when the float is raised, and a drain pump that is driven or stopped by the operation of the operation switch , enclosing portion, that Yusuke and side portion in a state where the insertion of the float extends along the side of the insertion portion to the surrounding portion of the float, and a flare portion of the flared leading to a lower end of the side portion.

  According to the present invention, the float is inserted into the enclosure so as to move up and down in the enclosure according to the water level of the drain water. This allows the float to move up and down smoothly within the enclosure because the float does not slide on the inner surface of the enclosure even though the float may contact the inside of the enclosure when the float moves up and down. Can do. In addition, since the upper portion of the surrounding portion is closed, dust does not enter the surrounding portion, so that the vertical movement of the float is not hindered by the dust. Therefore, the float can be moved up and down smoothly within the enclosure, and the drain pump can be operated at an appropriate timing. Further, even if the float is not restrained by the surrounding portion, the posture of the float can be kept within a certain range by the surrounding portion.

  If the inner surface of the surrounding portion is flat, the drain pump device is fixed by the surface tension existing between the surrounding portion and the side surface of the float when the side surface of the float contacts the inner surface of the surrounding portion. It may be difficult to move.

  For this reason, the recessed part or the convex part may be formed in the inner surface of the said enclosure part.

  According to this configuration, when the float that moves up and down in the enclosure comes into contact with the inner surface of the enclosure, the contact area between the float and the enclosure can be reduced, and the drain water existing between the inner surface of the enclosure and the float. It is possible to prevent the movement of the float from deteriorating due to the surface tension.

  The drain pump device is preferably installed horizontally, but depending on the situation, it may be installed in a slightly inclined state with respect to the horizontal plane. Slightly inclined from the right angle to the horizontal plane. On the other hand, since the water surface of the drain water is always parallel to the horizontal surface, the vertical movement of the float operates perpendicular to the water surface of the drain water. Therefore, if the float is moved upward in this state, the lower end of the enclosure may come into contact with the side surface of the float due to the inclination of the enclosure.

Therefore, in order to facilitate vertical movement of the float has a configuration of the surrounding portion.

  According to this configuration, even if the drain pump device is installed in an inclined state, the lower part of the surrounding part has a flare shape, so that the lower end of the surrounding part (that is, the lower end of the flare part) contacts the upper part of the float. The contact angle at the time can be reduced, and the float can be easily slid upward in the enclosure. That is, the flare shape is formed on the lower side of the enclosing portion, so that the lower end of the enclosing portion is prevented from being caught on the side surface of the float, and the float is easily slid upward in the enclosing portion. And when the upper part of a float contacts a flare part, a flare part guides so that the upper part of a float may face a side part, and a float can be smoothly inserted toward the side part of an enclosure part. Further, since the side portion of the surrounding portion is formed along the side surface of the float, the float can be smoothly moved up and down in the side portion in the surrounding portion.

  In the above configuration, preferably, the side surface portion is provided with an air vent hole penetrating the side surface portion in the thickness direction.

  According to the above configuration, since the air in the enclosure can be released outside the enclosure through the air vent hole, it is possible to prevent the water surface of the drain water in the enclosure from being easily raised by the air in the enclosure. Can be smoothly moved up and down.

  In the above-described configuration, it is preferable to further include a removal prevention member that is attached to the surrounding portion and prevents the float from coming out of the surrounding portion.

  According to the said structure, even if the level of drain water falls or the state without drain water, it can prevent that a float escapes from an enclosure part.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the drain pump apparatus which can operate | move a drain pump reliably at an appropriate timing can be provided.

It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of the drain pump apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view in the state where the cover of the drain pump device concerning Embodiment 1 was removed and the drain tank was partially cut away. It is the perspective view which looked at the substrate of the drain pump device concerning Embodiment 1 from the lower side. It is sectional drawing of the 1st switch of FIG. It is sectional drawing which cut | disconnected the 1st switch of FIG. 2 in the direction orthogonal to the cut surface of FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the internal structure of a reed switch. It is sectional drawing of the liquid level detection apparatus used for the conventional air conditioning apparatus.

  The structure of the drain pump apparatus 1 of one Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated with reference to FIGS. The drain pump device 1 is attached in the middle of the drain pipe from the indoor unit of the air conditioner. The drain pump device 1 collects drain water generated by the operation of the indoor unit, and uses the collected drain water to a desired head (for example, It is used for the purpose of pumping up to 5m to 12m) and discharging it.

<External structure of drain pump>
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of a drain pump device 1 according to the present embodiment. The drain pump device 1 includes a drain tank 12 which is a U-shaped container having an open upper side, a flat rectangular substrate 11 attached so as to close the opening of the drain tank 12, and the interior of the drain tank 12. And a drain pump 2 provided on one side. The drain tank 12 stores drain water generated by the operation of the indoor unit. The drain pump 2 discharges drain water stored in the drain tank 12. The substrate 11 is a base on which various components are mounted, and includes various component mounting holes, screw holes, and the like.

  The substrate 11 is provided with a receiving hole 13 for introducing drain water into the drain tank 12 and a discharge nozzle 14 for discharging the drain water stored in the drain tank 12 to the outside. The receiving hole 13 is a circular through hole that penetrates the substrate 11. FIG. 1 shows an example in which two receiving holes 13 are provided in the vicinity of the short side of the substrate 11 and these are closed by a lid member. The drain water pumped up from the drain tank 12 by the drain pump 2 is discharged from the discharge nozzle 14. One end of a drain water drain pipe is connected to the discharge nozzle 14. Further, a cover 15 that covers an electrical component mounted on the substrate 11 is attached to the upper surface of the substrate 11.

<Internal structure of drain pump device>
FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing the internal structure of the drain pump device 1. In FIG. 2, the perspective direction is reversed from that in FIG. 1, and the cover 15 is removed and a part of the drain tank 12 is notched for understanding the internal structure. The drain pump device 1 includes a first switch 3, a second switch 4, a third switch 5, and an operation relay 6 in addition to the drain pump 2 described above.

  The drain pump 2 has a pump motor 21 as a drive source and an impeller unit 22 driven by the pump motor 21. The pump motor 21 is mounted on the upper surface of the substrate 11. The impeller unit 22 has a disk-shaped casing and is held by the substrate 11 while being suspended from the lower surface of the substrate 11. When a predetermined amount of drain water is stored in the drain tank 12, the impeller unit 22 is immersed in the drain water.

  The impeller unit 22 includes an impeller casing 221 and an impeller 223 (FIG. 3) accommodated in the impeller casing 221. The impeller 223 is attached to the output shaft 211 of the pump motor 21. An opening for sucking drain water is provided at a position facing the impeller on the lower surface of the impeller unit 22. Further, a drain water discharge port 222 is provided in the vicinity of the side periphery of the upper surface of the impeller unit 22. This discharge port 222 and the above-described discharge nozzle 14 are connected.

  When the pump motor 21 is energized and a rotational driving force is applied to the impeller, drain water is sucked into the impeller casing 221 from the suction opening. Then, the drain water that has been made high pressure by the action of the impeller is discharged from the discharge nozzle 14 via the discharge port 222.

  Both the first switch 3 and the second switch 4 are float switches that operate according to the water level of the drain water in the drain tank 12, and are used for operation control of the drain pump 2 (pump motor 21). The first switch 3 is turned on when the water level of the drain water in the drain tank 12 exceeds a predetermined lower limit water level, and turned off when the water level falls below the lower limit water level. On the other hand, the second switch 4 is turned on when the water level of the drain water in the drain tank 12 exceeds a predetermined upper limit water level, and turned off when the water level falls below the upper limit water level. The upper limit water level and the lower limit water level will be described together with the description of the operation of the drain pump device described later.

  The first switch 3 includes a first float 31, a first surrounding part 32, a first reed switch 33, and a first removal preventing member 34. Similarly, the second switch 4 includes a second float 41, a second surrounding portion 42, a second reed switch 43, and a second removal preventing member 44. The first switch 3 is the same as the second switch 4 except that it is shifted downward relative to the substrate 11 as a whole. That is, the configuration and structure of each part of the first switch 3 and the second switch 4 are the same. Are the same. The structure of each part of the first and second switches 3 and 4 will be described below. In this description, when “enclosure”, “float”, “reed switch”, and “prevention member” are described, the first And the second member.

  The surrounding portions 32 and 42 are formed integrally with the substrate 11. The surrounding portions 32 and 42 are rectangular parallelepiped cylindrical members that protrude downward and upward (opposite to the drain tank 12) of the substrate 11 and open downward while closing the upper end. Floats 31 and 41 are inserted in the open portions. The floats 31 and 41 are configured to float on water by buoyancy, and move up and down in the surrounding portions 32 and 42 according to fluctuations in the level of drain water stored in the drain tank 12. That is, the floats 31 and 41 are only inserted into the surrounding portions 32 and 42 and are not constrained and coupled to other members. The internal cavities of the enclosures 32 and 42 have a mold draft that becomes narrower upward, and the length in the vertical direction is inserted into the enclosures 32 and 42 of the floats 31 and 41. It is almost the same as or slightly shorter than the vertical length of the part.

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the substrate 11 as seen from the lower side (back side), and shows a state in which the floats 31 and 41 and the removal preventing members 34 and 44 are removed so that the inner surfaces of the surrounding portions 32 and 42 can be seen. Yes.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of concave portions 32 a and 42 a extending in the vertical direction of the surrounding portions 32 and 42 are formed on the inner side surfaces of the surrounding portions 32 and 42 (that is, the surfaces in contact with the floats 31 and 41). The convex portions 32b and 42b are formed between the concave portions 32a and 42a. The concave portions 32a and 42a and the convex portions 32b and 42b are provided to reduce the contact area with the floats 31 and 41. That is, when the floats 31 and 41 move up and down in the surrounding portions 32 and 42, the side surfaces of the floats 31 and 41 may contact the convex portions 32b and 42b on the inner surfaces of the surrounding portions 32 and 42, but the concave portions 32a and 41b. It does not contact 42a. Therefore, even when the side surfaces of the floats 31 and 41 come into contact with the surrounding portions 32 and 42 due to the unevenness, the surface tension of the drain water existing between the inner surfaces of the surrounding portions 32 and 42 and the float does not act, and the float 31 , 41 can be smoothly moved up and down.

  4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the first switch 3, and FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of the first switch 3 cut along a plane perpendicular to the section of FIG. In addition, since the cross section of the 2nd switch 4 is also substantially the same shape, illustration is abbreviate | omitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the float 31 includes a float main body 31 a and a magnet 35 mounted on the top of the float main body 31 a. The float body 31a is made of a foamed resin so as to float on the drain water by buoyancy. Examples of the foamed resin include foamed polystyrene, foamed polypropylene, foamed polyethylene, and foamed urethane.

  The magnet 35 may have various shapes such as a rectangular parallelepiped shape, a disk shape, and a ring shape. The method for attaching the magnet 35 to the float main body 31a is not particularly limited. For example, the magnet 35 is placed on the upper portion of the float main body 31a by insert molding in a state where the magnet 35 is arranged in advance in a predetermined position in the float molding die. The embedded float 31 may be manufactured, or the float 31 may be manufactured by inserting the magnet 35 into the upper part of the float main body 31a after forming the float main body 31a.

When the volume of the float 31 is A (cm ³ ) and the weight of the float 31 including the magnet 35 is B (g), B / A is designed to satisfy 1.2 or more and 4 or less. The float 31 satisfying such a numerical range is easily moved up and down smoothly with the fluctuation of the drain water level. When B / A is 1.2 or more, the float 31 easily floats in the drain water, and when B / A is 4 or less, the lower part of the float 31 is appropriately submerged in the drain water. It does not have to be excessively large in the upward direction (side away from the substrate 11). The B / A is more preferably 1.4 or more and 3 or less, and more preferably 1.7 or more and 2.4 or less.

  The float body 31a includes a substantially cylindrical bottom portion 311 and a substantially prismatic insertion portion 312 that protrudes upward from the top surface of the bottom portion 311 and gradually decreases in the horizontal cross section in the upward direction. The magnet 35 is attached to the upper end of the insertion portion 312.

  The bottom 311 has a size slightly larger than the insertion portion 312 in order to increase the buoyancy of the float 31. The insertion portion 312 is a portion that is inserted into the surrounding portion 32, and in a state in which the insertion portion 312 is inserted into the surrounding portion 32, a surrounding portion is formed so that a gap is formed between the side surface of the insertion portion 312 and the inside of the surrounding portion 32. The size is slightly smaller than 32 internal cavities. That is, the size of the horizontal section of the insertion portion 312 is slightly smaller than the size of the horizontal section of the internal cavity of the surrounding portion 32. The horizontal section of the insertion portion 312 is rectangular so as to correspond to the shape of the internal cavity of the surrounding portion 32. The vertical length of the insertion portion 312 is such that the bottom 311 does not contact the lower portion of the surrounding portion 32 even if the upper portion of the insertion portion 312 contacts the upper end portion 322 of the surrounding portion.

  The surrounding portion 32 has an inner surface shape that serves as a detent for the float 31. When the insertion portion 312 of the float 31 is inserted into the surrounding portion 32, the float 31 is located in the surrounding portion 32 around the central axis of the float 31. So that it does not rotate. Specifically, the short side of the horizontal cross section of the internal cavity of the surrounding portion 32 is made shorter than the long side of the horizontal cross section of the insertion portion 312 of the float 31.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the surrounding portion 32 includes a side surface portion 324 extending along the side surface of the insertion portion 312 in a state where the insertion portion 312 of the float 31 is inserted, and a flare-shaped flare portion 325 connected to the lower end of the side surface portion 324. And a pair of lower end portions 326 that are connected to opposite sides of the lower end of the flare portion 325 and extend to the opposite side of the float 31. Each of the pair of lower end portions 326 is provided with an attachment hole 327 penetrating the lower end portion 326 in the thickness direction, and a later-described drop prevention member 34 (FIG. 2) is attached to the two attachment holes 327.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the side surface portion 324 has a gradually increasing horizontal section in the downward direction, and the side surface portion 324 is provided with an air vent hole 328 that penetrates the side surface portion 324 in the thickness direction. . The air vent hole 328 is provided to discharge the air in the enclosure portion 32 to the outside of the enclosure portion 32 when the water level of the drain water rises.

  The flare part 325 smoothly curves from the lower end of the side part 324 and spreads downward, and has a shape in which the horizontal cross section becomes larger toward the lower side than the side part 324. In the longitudinal section of the surrounding part 32 and the float 31, the side surface part 324 is parallel to the outer surface of the insertion part 312 with the center line of the float 31 coinciding with the center line of the surrounding part 32.

  With respect to the upper limit position and the lower limit position of the vertical movement of the float 31, the upper part of the float 31 can move upward until it comes into contact with the upper end part 322 of the internal cavity of the surrounding part 32, while the lower part of the float 31 comes into contact with the removal prevention member 34. It can be moved downward. Even when the float 31 is in contact with the removal preventing member 34, the upper portion of the insertion portion 312 of the float 31 is inserted into the surrounding portion 32. For this reason, even if the float 31 is in the lower limit position, the float 31 does not come off from the surrounding portion 32.

  The float 31 can freely move up and down in the enclosure 32 except for the above-described upper limit position and lower limit position, and can move up and down in the enclosure 32 even if the float 31 is slightly inclined in the enclosure 32. Thus, the insertion portion 312 is made slightly smaller than the inside of the surrounding portion 32.

  The drop prevention member 34 has a substantially U-shaped cross section and is a member that supports the lower end surface of the float 31 (float body 31a). When there is no drain water in the drain tank 12, as shown in FIG. 2, the lower end of the float 31 is held by the removal preventing member 34, and the float 31 is prevented from coming off from the surrounding portion 32. As shown in FIG. 4, the bottom of the slip-off preventing member 34 has a mountain-shaped cross section to reduce the contact area with the bottom 311 of the float 31.

  When the water level of the drain water rises and the float 31 rises from the prevention member 34, the insertion portion 312 of the float 31 is gradually inserted into the surrounding portion 32, so that the magnet 35 and the reed switch 33 gradually approach each other. . When the drain water level reaches a predetermined lower limit water level, the magnet 35 and the reed switch 33 are in close proximity with the upper end 322 interposed therebetween, and the reed switch 33 is turned on by the magnetic force of the magnet 35.

  The reed switch 33 is disposed at a position where the magnet 35 can approach due to the rise of the drain water level in the drain tank 12, that is, on the upper end 322 of the enclosure 32.

  FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the internal structure of the reed switch 33. As shown in FIG. 6, the reed switch 33 includes a pair of lead wires 53 and 54 and a pair of lead pieces 51 and 52. The pair of lead pieces 51 and 52 are respectively extended from the leading end portions of the one lead wires 53 and 54 toward the leading end portion of the other lead wire, and the leading end portions are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance. Has been placed.

  When the distance between the reed switch 33 and the magnet 35 embedded in the float 31 is short, the pair of lead pieces 51 and 52 are magnetized under the influence of the magnetic field of the magnet 35. The magnet 35 has an N-pole and an S-pole on the upper surface, and one of the lead pieces receives an N-pole magnetic field, and the other of the lead pieces receives an S-pole magnetic field above the float 31. It is attached. Thereby, when the upper part of the float 31 approaches the reed switch 33, a magnetic force attracting the lead pieces 51 and 52 works. When the magnetic force is larger than the elastic force of the lead pieces 51 and 52, the tip portions of the lead pieces 51 and 52 are in contact with each other (ON state), and when the magnetic force is smaller than the elastic force of the lead pieces 51 and 52, the tips of the lead pieces 51 and 52 are contacted. The parts are separated (OFF state). By operating in this way, ON / OFF of the reed switch 33 is controlled.

  The third switch 5 is also a float switch that operates according to the level of drain water in the drain tank 12. However, the third switch 5 is a switch provided for detecting an abnormality of the drain pump device 1 and is OFF when the water level of the drain water in the drain tank 12 exceeds a predetermined abnormal water level. It is always ON except for.

  The driving relay 6 is an electromagnetic relay provided with an electromagnet and a contact that operates by a magnetic force generated by energizing the electromagnet (excitation coil). As the operation relay 6, an a contact type relay that closes (ON) when the electromagnet is energized is used. In the drain pump device 1, the operation relay 6 has a function of causing a state change between an ON state in which the drain pump 2 (pump motor 21) is energized and an OFF state in which the energization is stopped.

  The state change occurs based on a combination of ON / OFF of the first switch 3 and the second switch 4. In general, the driving relay 6 is turned on when both the first switch 3 and the second switch 4 are turned on, and conversely, is turned off when both are turned off. When either one of the second switches 4 is ON or OFF, the ON / OFF of the driving relay 6 is not switched.

  The abnormality relay 7 is an electromagnetic relay provided with an electromagnet and a contact that operates by the magnetic force of the electromagnet. As the abnormality relay 7, a b-contact type relay that opens (OFF) when the electromagnet is energized is used. The operation of the abnormality relay 7 is interlocked with the third switch 5. When the third switch 5 is ON, the electromagnet is energized. When the third switch 5 is turned off, that is, when an abnormal water level is detected, energization to the electromagnet is stopped and the contact is closed. By this operation, for example, an abnormality notification circuit of the air conditioner body, a safety circuit, and the like are configured to operate.

<Operation of Drain Pump Device According to Embodiment 1>
In a state where the drain water is not stored in the drain tank 12 or a state where the amount of stored drain water is small, as shown in FIG. 2, the lower ends of the first and second floats 31 and 32 are the first and second omissions, respectively. The prevention members 34 and 44 are in contact. At this time, the lead pieces of the first and second reed switches 33 and 43 are not affected by the magnetic field of the magnet, and are separated from each other by the elastic force of the lead pieces (open state).

  As the drain water is supplied to the drain tank 12 by the continuous operation of the indoor unit and the water level of the drain water in the drain tank 12 rises, the first and second floats 31 and 32 are in the first and second surrounding portions 32 and 42. Move upward. And if the water level of drain water exceeds a minimum water level, the lead piece of the 1st reed switch 33 will be magnetized under the influence of the magnetic field of a magnet, and will be in the state (closed state) where the tip parts contacted. A signal indicating that the first reed switch 33 is in a closed state is transmitted to the control unit through an unillustrated wiring, but the control unit does not start the drain pump 2 in this state. By further operating the indoor unit continuously in this state, the drain water continues to be supplied to the drain tank 12, and the water level of the drain water further rises. And if the water level of drain water exceeds an upper limit position, the lead piece of the 2nd reed switch 43 will be magnetized under the influence of the magnetic field of a magnet, and will be in the state (closed state) which the front-end | tip parts contact | connected. A signal indicating that the second reed switch 43 is in the closed state is transmitted to the control unit through an unillustrated wiring, and the control unit is in the closed state from both the first and second reed switches 33 and 43. When the signal is received, the drain pump 2 is activated. As a result, drain water is discharged from the discharge nozzle 14 to the outside of the drain tank 12 through a drain pipe (not shown). As the drain water is discharged in this way, the drain water level in the drain tank 12 becomes lower, and when the drain water level falls below the upper limit position, the lead piece of the second reed switch 43 becomes a magnet. The second reed switch 43 is opened without being affected by the magnetic field. A signal indicating that the second reed switch 43 is in an open state is transmitted to the control unit through an unillustrated wiring. In this state, the control unit does not stop the drain pump 2 and keeps the activated state. Be drunk. After that, when the drain water level drops and the drain water level reaches the lower limit position, the lead piece of the first reed switch 33 is not affected by the magnetic field of the magnet, and the first reed switch 33 is opened. A signal indicating that the first and second reed switches 33 and 43 are in an open state is transmitted to the control unit through an unillustrated wiring, and the control unit controls the drain pump 2 to stop.

<The effect of the drain pump apparatus concerning Embodiment 1>
Next, the function and effect of the drain pump device will be described.

  According to the drain pump device 1 of the present embodiment, the floats 31 and 41 are inserted into the surrounding parts 32 and 42 so as to move up and down in the surrounding parts 32 and 42 according to the water level of the drain water. Even if the floats 31 and 41 come into contact with the inner surfaces of the surrounding portions 32 and 42 when the 31 and 41 move up and down, the floats 31 and 41 do not slide on the inner surfaces of the surrounding portions 32 and 42. The floats 31 and 41 can be smoothly moved up and down within the surrounding portions 32 and 42. In addition, since the upper portions of the surrounding portions 32 and 42 are closed, dust does not enter the surrounding portions 32 and 42, so that the vertical movement of the floats 31 and 41 is not hindered by the dust. Therefore, the floats 31 and 41 can be moved up and down smoothly in the surrounding portions 32 and 42, and the drain pump can be operated at an appropriate timing. Further, even if the floats 31 and 41 are not restrained by the surrounding portions 32 and 42, the postures of the floats 31 and 41 can be kept within a certain range by the surrounding portions 32 and 42.

  In the above configuration, if the inner surfaces of the surrounding portions 32 and 42 are flat, when the side surfaces of the floats 31 and 41 come into contact with the inner surfaces of the surrounding portions 32 and 42, the surrounding portions 32 and 42 and the side surfaces of the floats 31 and 41 The floats 31 and 41 may be difficult to move up and down due to the surface tension existing between them, but in this embodiment, the recesses 32a and 42a and the protrusions 32b and 42b are provided on the inner surfaces of the surrounding portions 32 and 42. Therefore, even if the floats 31 and 41 come into contact with the inner surfaces of the surrounding portions 32 and 42, the surface tension of the drain water does not occur or is slight, so the vertical movement of the floats 31 and 41 is obstructed. It can be suppressed.

  The drain pump device 1 is preferably installed horizontally. However, depending on the situation, the drain pump device 1 may be installed in a slightly inclined state. When installed in this state, 42 is also slightly inclined from the right angle with respect to the horizontal plane of the drain water. On the other hand, since the water surface of the drain water is always parallel to the horizontal surface, the vertical movements of the floats 31 and 41 also operate perpendicular to the water surface of the drain water. Therefore, when the floats 31 and 41 are moved upward in this state, the lower portions of the surrounding parts 32 and 42 are brought into contact with and caught by the side surfaces of the floats 31 and 41 due to the inclination of the surrounding parts 32 and 42. 41 may be difficult to move upward.

  In order to facilitate the upward movement of the float 31, the surrounding portion 32 includes a side surface portion 324 extending along the side surface of the insertion portion 312 of the float 31 in a state where the float 31 is inserted, and a flare shape connected to the lower end of the side surface portion 324. The flare part 325 of this is included. For this reason, even if the drain pump device 1 is installed in an inclined state, the lower part of the surrounding part 32 has a flare shape, so that the lower part of the surrounding part 32 (that is, the flare part 325) and the upper part of the float 31 are in contact with each other. Therefore, the contact angle can be reduced, and the float 31 can be easily slid upward in the surrounding portion 32. That is, since the flare part 325 is formed below the surrounding part 32, it is possible to prevent the lower end of the surrounding part 32 from being caught on the side surface of the float 31.

  Moreover, when the upper part of the float 31 contacts the flare part 325, the flare part 325 guides the upper part of the float 31 toward the side part 324, and the float 31 is smoothly inserted toward the side part 324 of the surrounding part 32. can do. Further, since the side surface portion 324 of the surrounding portion 32 is formed along the side surface of the float 31, the float 31 can be smoothly moved up and down within the surrounding portion 32.

  In addition, by making the insertion portion 312 of the float 31 slightly smaller than the internal cavity of the surrounding portion 32, even if the drain pump device 1 is attached with a slight inclination with respect to the horizontal plane, the surrounding portion 32. The float 31 can be moved up and down smoothly.

  Since the air vent hole 328 is provided in the side surface portion 324, the air in the surrounding portion 32 can escape to the outside of the surrounding portion 32 through the air vent hole 328. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the water surface of the drain water in the surrounding portion 32 from being easily raised by the air in the surrounding portion 32, and the float 31 can be smoothly moved up and down.

  Since the omission prevention member 34 is attached to the enclosing portion 32, the float 31 can be prevented from coming out of the enclosing portion 32 even when the drain water level is lowered.

  Since the short side of the horizontal cross section of the internal cavity of the surrounding portion 32 is shorter than the long side of the horizontal cross section of the insertion portion 312 of the float 31, the float 31 centering on the central axis of the float 31 in the surrounding portion 32. , And the orientation of the magnet 35 with respect to the reed switch 33 can always be maintained in a constant direction. As a result, the float 31 does not rotate around the central axis in the surrounding portion 32, so the ON / OFF switching sensitivity of the reed switch 33 does not decrease.

  In the drain pump device 1 according to the first embodiment, the operation of the drain pump 2 is controlled by the first and second switches 3 and 4, and both the first and second switches 3 and 4 are turned on. Is the driving start condition of the drain pump 2, and conversely, the operation stop condition of the drain pump 2 is that both the first and second switches 3 and 4 are turned off. Accordingly, the state in which only one of the first and second switches 3 and 4 is ON or OFF functions as a time (differential) for waiting for switching of driving or stopping of the drain pump 2, and thereby the drain pump 2 hunting operation can be prevented and power consumption can be reduced.

<Modification>
In the first embodiment, the case where the reed switches 33 and 43 are used as operation switches has been described. It is not limited to 43, and any operation switch can be used. When an operation switch other than the reed switches 33 and 43 is used, the surrounding portion 32 may not have an inner surface shape that serves as a detent for the float 31.

  The inner surface shape of the surrounding portion 32 can be prevented from rotating unless it is a cylindrical shape. For example, the inner surface of the surrounding portion 32 may be a polygonal shape such as a triangular prism shape, a quadrangular prism shape, a pentagonal prism shape, an elliptical prism shape, or the like. Can do.

  The concave portion 32a and the convex portion 32b provided on the inner surface of the surrounding portion 32 can be omitted.

  The side surface of the surrounding portion 32 may be configured by only the side surface portion 324 without providing the flare portion 325 at the lower side surface of the surrounding portion 32.

  In the above embodiment, the float main body 31 a is configured by the insertion portion 312 and the bottom portion 311. However, the bottom portion 311 may be the same horizontal section as the insertion portion 312, and both may be integrated.

  In the above embodiment, when the drain tank 12 is shallow, the drop prevention members 34 and 44 can be omitted.

  Although the drain pump apparatus of the said embodiment demonstrated as an example the case where it uses for the drain up kit for high heads, you may apply to the drain up kit for medium heads or low heads.

  In the above embodiment, either the first switch 3 or the second switch 4 can be omitted, and the operation of the drain pump 2 can be controlled only by the other switch. In this case, there is a concern about the hunting operation described above, but the hunting operation can be solved by using latch control or the like by an electronic control circuit using a microcomputer or the like.

  It should be understood that the embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative and non-restrictive in every respect. The scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, rather than the description above, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Drain pump apparatus 2 Drain pump 3 1st switch 4 2nd switch 6 Relay for operation 7 Relay for abnormality 11 Board | substrate 12 Drain tank 13 Receiving hole 14 Discharge nozzle 31 1st float (float)
31a Float body 32 First enclosure (enclosure)
32a Concave portion 32b Convex portion 33 First reed switch (operation switch)
34 First drop prevention member (omission prevention member)
35 Magnet 41 Second float (float)
42 Second enclosure (enclosure)
43 Second reed switch (operation switch)
44 Second drop prevention member (omission prevention member)
221 Impeller casing 311 Bottom part 312 Insertion part 324 Side part 325 Flare part 326 Lower end part 328 Air vent hole

Claims (4)

A float having a float body and a magnet mounted on top of the float body;
An enclosure that opens downward while closing the upper part, and the upper part of the float is inserted from below;
An operation switch disposed outside the enclosure and operated by the magnetic force of the magnet when the float is raised;
A drain pump that is driven or stopped by an operation of the operation switch ,
The surrounding section, that Yusuke and side portion in a state where the insertion of the float extends along the side of the insertion portion to the surrounding portion of the float, and a flare portion of the flared leading to a lower end of the side portion Drain pump device.   The drain pump device according to claim 1, wherein a concave portion or a convex portion is formed on an inner surface of the surrounding portion. The drain pump device according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein an air vent hole penetrating the side surface portion in the thickness direction is provided in the side surface portion. The drain pump device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , further comprising a removal prevention member that is attached to the enclosure and prevents the float from coming out of the enclosure.

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